ISLAMABAD, Sept 18: Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto has asked President Gen Pervez Musharraf to tender “unqualified apology” to the nation, in general, and women, in particular, for his “insensitive and callous” remarks about women in a US newspaper last week.

“Gen Musharraf’s remarks has brought immense shame and anguish and degraded the mothers, sisters and daughters, indeed the whole nation”, she said in a statement issued here on Sunday.

In an interview with the Washington Post last week President Musharraf, commenting on rape incidents in Pakistan, is quoted to have said: “This has become a moneymaking concern. A lot of people say if you want to go abroad and get a visa for Canada or citizenship and be a millionaire, get yourself raped.”

Ms Bhutto said that Gen Musharraf’s remarks only proved his low esteem of the women and showed that his claims of enlightened moderation and women emancipation were no more than a ruse to hoodwink the international opinion. “The world must awake to the stark reality of the plight of women in Pakistan who have to fight prejudices from the lowest to the head of state”, she said.

She lauded the Amnesty International for denouncing the General’s remarks. The AI in a public statement called the remarks “callous and insulting” and demanded “a public apology from Musharraf to the women of Pakistan and especially to victims of rape, sexual assault, and other forms of violence that are rampant with impunity in Pakistan”.

Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin also said that he raised the matter with Musharraf saying, “I stated unequivocally that comments such as that are not acceptable and that violence against women is a blight that besmirches all humanity”.

Mukhtaran Mai, a gang rape victim fighting for justice, has said that Musharraf can take away all the riches she made from the gang rape, but give her justice.

The former prime minister said that the laws in the country were already skewed against women.

The hudood ordinance required a raped woman to produce four adult Muslim male witnesses as proof of rape or be prepared to be tried for ‘qazf’ (false accusations), she said.

She said that after Gen Musharraf’s remarks the fight for justice for women will become even more difficult. Now if a woman cried against dreadful crime she will also be accused of making money or seeking foreign visa because the country’s president has decreed so, she said.

Mr Bhutto said that Gen Musharraf must tender unqualified apology and not make it an issue of ego. Before he returns to the country from foreign tour he must tender this apology, she said.

She also asked the human rights activist, layers, women rights groups and international community to raise voice and force Musharraf to tender apology.